Corrupted by Innocence

BRAD

I know my son does not understand the weight of his actions, nor the need to comply with this marriage.

His mother would have known what to do in this situation, calming his crazy antics before the only option left was to shove some poor girl into his arms.

But alas, my wife is no longer here and I’m working with the best I’ve got.

When I received news of the latest tryst, I sprung into action but I can’t say this was a last-minute decision. Sure, it’s a publicity stunt, but it’s one I have had in my back pocket for months.

The shareholders have been up my ass for months to rein in Xavier, threatening to pull their support. I probably should have tried to do something sooner, but I hoped that he would grow out of this reckless behavior.

He hasn’t, so it’s time for drastic measures. He doesn’t have to like it. He just has to comply for eighteen months.

Eighteen months is all I’m asking but to him, I know it’s going to feel like I’m asking for the entire world.

The original list had been almost fifty women long, but Ron helped narrow it down to women that had very little contact with Xavier, or at the very least, didn’t run in the same circles.

What used to be fifty became seven, unsurprisingly. I wasn’t a saint in my younger years either.

I settle in my chair behind a desk that is meant to convey my power and wealth, but for the first time in years, I’m not sure I want the lifestyle that comes with it.

Without my wife by my side, my life has begun to unravel, and my son’s antics have become worse each time he ends up in the media.

If it keeps going like this, Xavier is going to find himself in trouble I can’t get him out of, which is why this marriage has to work.

Each of the women had been contacted before tonight and each one gave their consent to be included in this discreet pool. No one can know that this relationship is just a farce.

It must look like Xavier’s antics were a result of an inability to commit, rather than the reckless behavior of a man who’s not fit to inherit Knight Enterprises.

After meeting the last one, I knew she was the one I wanted for him. I had no idea that Xavier would want her too.

But I need it to be organic.

I need Xavier to meet her, and I need to see that sparkle in his eyes, the same one that appeared when he saw her headshot.

At next week’s gala, he will meet all seven of his options and he will make a final choice.

And then, Xavier’s new life will begin.

He will have someone he must protect and by god, I’m going to make sure he does.

For his sake and mine.

ANGELA

I stare at my reflection in the mirror, lips curling up as my gaze travels along the outlines of my petite curves, accentuated by the velvet dress gifted to me by Brad Knight himself.

The man definitely has taste; the violet tint of the dress glitters beneath the bathroom lights, accentuating the gold flecks in my normally dull brown eyes. The stylist has done up my blonde tresses, and the weight of my hair hangs thick behind me.

I don’t look like me, but then again, I never have.

I’ve been running for as long as I can remember, but not because of what Brad Knight thinks. I’m not some poor innocent girl who needs a hand to continue in life.

No, that’s just the persona I have created. It’s the persona I want everyone to grab onto. It’s the persona I want Xavier to fall in love with.

So far, it’s worked. Brad contacted me almost three weeks ago after catching sight of me in the flower shop I visited for my specially ordered roses.

He was hooked by the purity in my gaze and offered me a way out of the poor life I had been living. A deal I’ve been waiting for.

Xavier’s hand in marriage.

But while Brad thinks he’s saving Xavier’s image, he’s actually just sold his son to the devil.

I’m not an innocent little flower waiting to be ruined. I’m not a lovesick girl waiting to find my forever in the form of a rich playboy, Xavier Knight.

And fuck off if you think I’m a gold digger.

I probably have more money than the little shit who thinks he owns half the planet.

He thinks he can do no wrong and that nothing can tear him down from the high horse that he’s climbed upon.

Well, he’s about to have a rude awakening because I’m more than my looks and I’ve come to ruin him.

I chuckle at the image of Xavier flattened on the floor, my sparkly spiked heel pressed into his neck as I command him to bend to my will. I stretch my leg out, the dress splitting along the slit as I stare at the stilettos affixed to my feet.

Angela Carson, innocent part-time flower shop attendant, would have never been able to dress in such luxury. This would be her first real moment in the spotlight. This is her time to shine and wrap her arms around the biggest opportunity she’s ever had.

I snort because while the shoes are nice, and the velvet feels amazing on my skin, they pale in comparison to the wardrobe I have tucked away in my inconspicuous apartment. There’s definitely a handbag in one of the boxes that is worth a month of Xavier’s undeserved salary.

Sure, I’m Angela Carson, but I’ve also been Brittany, and Layla, and Stephani, and Jennifer. Each one of those women was in their prime, controlling those beneath her, and Angela will be no different.

~I will be no different.

I return my attention to the woman staring back at me in the mirror, taking another lingering glance, my fangs slowly making an appearance. My hunger thrums to life, my hand slapping over my lips as I try to calm my nerves.

I haven’t eaten in the past week, and it’s starting to show. I usually have a better handle on my needs, but preparing for this moment has preoccupied me. My eyes dart to the stylist in the corner who is paying me no mind.

I’m not sure why she’s still here, but she’s a tasty temptation.

I rein in my desires with a few deep breaths, willing myself to save them for someone more deserving. My hands drop from my mouth, and I sigh in relief that my fangs have receded. I will need to be careful.

I make my way to the gala with the guide of the waitress, her head bowed in my presence. I almost feel like royalty being led to the slaughter, but I am not the pig.

I haven’t seen the other girls, but I’ve played this game longer than they have, and I know, in the end, he will choose me because he thinks he can make me submit.

He thinks I’m going to fall at his feet, drooling at the mere sight of him like all the other girls.

He’s going to want to ruin me.

Too bad I’ve already been ruined.